Kilroy-Stivers rematch part of 15th congressional race

Mary Jo Kilroy and Steve Stivers will compete again for the 15th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mary Jo Kilroy and Steve Stivers will compete again for the 15th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kilroy, a Democrat, is the incumbent who narrowly defeated Stivers, a Republican, in 2008.

Other candidates to appear on the Nov. 2 ballot are Libertarian William Kammerer and Constitution Party candidate David Ryon. Bill Buckel of Columbus is listed as a write-in candidate.

Kilroy, 61, is a member of the House committee on financial services and the Homeland Security committee and serves on the congressional task force on competitiveness.

A former member of the Columbus school board and Franklin County commissioners, Kilroy supported President Barack Obama's health-care initiative and lists health care first on her website's issues page.

"This historic law is a great step toward improving coverage for all Americans, providing assistance to the uninsured, closing the prescription donut hole for our seniors, and covering central Ohioans with pre-existing conditions," Kilroy said on her website. "While I realize that not everyone is content with my vote, as some seek a public option or single-payer plan and some are comfortable with the current system, I believe that each family and business in central Ohio will benefit from this law."

She also supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and voted for cap-and-trade legislation, Wall Street reform and to block congressional pay raises.

A graduate of Cleveland State University and the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Kilroy lives in Clintonville with her husband, Robert Handelman. They have two daughters.

Stivers, 45, is running on a conservative platform, calling for free-market initiatives that create jobs, a reduction in government spending and strong national defense.

He served as a state senator from January 2003 to December 2008.

Stivers said he is most proud of his work to help disabled Ohioans obtain medical coverage, the passage of a "fiscally conservative" state budget, providing the largest property-tax cut in Ohio history and freezing tuition costs for Ohio's college students.

Stivers put "protecting Social Security" at the top of his list of issues."The promises made to our seniors must be promises kept, which is why I oppose privatizing Social Security and oppose raising the retirement age as a way of stretching benefits," he said on his website. "We must find ways to reduce costs and improve the quality of services we provide to our seniors. The focus must be on efficiency and effectiveness, eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in the system, and providing our seniors with the benefits they have been promised."

Stivers has served in the Ohio National Guard since 1985 and holds the rank of lieutenant colonel. He also was a battalion commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Stivers is a graduate of the Ohio State University. He lives in Columbus with his wife, Karen, and their daughter.

Ryon, 41, is running for the 15th Congressional seat but actually lives in the 12th District.

The Gahanna resident has tried his hand at politics a few times, having been an independent candidate for Hilliard mayor in 1999 and a Republican candidate for the 12th Ohio House District in 2008. He edged out fellow Constitution Party candidate Chris Macisco in a tight May primary.

Ryon lists a number of issues in brief on his website, saying he wants to roll back spending to start paying of the national debt, repeal the 16th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and create tax deductions for health-care costs and tax credits for private- and home-school students.

"This is my pledge and contract that I make with the people of the 15th Congressional District and Ohio," he said on his website.

Ryon graduated cum laude from Central State University in Wilberforce in 1994, with a major in political science and minor in English. He is married to Julie.

Kammerer, 55, lives in Columbus. A Libertarian Party of Ohio website link for Kammerer lists the economy as his top issue. "Taxpayers should never again be asked to bail out 'Too Big to Fail' institutions," the website states.

Biographical information for Kammerer wasn't available.

Early voting in Franklin County runs through Nov. 1. For more information on the election and polling locations, visit the Franklin County Board of Elections website at http://vote.franklincountyohio.gov.

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